Singer Dua Lipa Sued for a Second Time for Sharing Paparazzi Photo
Singer Dua Lipa is facing a lawsuit after she posted an image of herself on Instagram without the photographer’s permission, according to a copyright infringement lawsuit.
Lipa, who operates the Instagram account @dualipa, posted an image by New York-based photographer Robert Barbera that he took of her in July 2018, reports Billboard.
“Without permission or authorization from Plaintiff, Defendant volitionally selected, copied, stored and displayed each of Plaintiff’s copyright protected Photographs,” the complaint, written by attorney Craig Sanders, reads.
The photo in question shows British singer Lipa wearing a black sweater bearing the word “HEROES” in large capital letters while out in New York City. It has since been deleted from the singer’s Instagram.
“Without permission or authorization from Plaintiff, Defendant volitionally selected, copied, stored and displayed each of Plaintiff’s copyright protected Photographs,” reads the complaint filed in a US District Court in California.
Barbera is seeking damages and penalties from the profits Lipa allegedly makes on her Instagram account where she advertises her music, brand, and business interests.
Barbera also claims that his attempts to settle the matter with Lipa outside of court have been rebuffed after the singer reported “slowed and eventually stopped” communication with the photographer.
The Second Time Dua Lipa Has Faced Accusation
In July 2021, Lipa was sued by Integral Images for copyright infringement after she posted paparazzi photos of herself on social media. However, the lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice in October.
Photographer Barbera has previously filed similar lawsuits against pop stars, including Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber. The paparazzi has tried to sue Grande twice after she allegedly shared his photos on her Instagram account. Both of the Grande cases were dismissed but Bieber reportedly settled out of court with the litigious photographer.
Last week PetaPixel reported that model and actress Emily Ratajkowski had been sued by photographer Edward Opinalodo for the same offense of posting an image of herself on Instagram.
Lipa is currently touring the world following the release of her Future Nostalgia album and is riding high from the success of her new single “Potion” which features both Calvin Harris and Young Thug.
Image credits: Header photo by Harald Krichel, Creative Commons.
